Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a central European nation bordered by Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Czechia. It is an economic superpower, and through the 2010's and 2020's, the nations military strength has grown to rival that of the United Kingdom. However, the naton is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union, United Nations and Group of 7. Germany led the battalion of 1,200 men in Lithuania during the Baltic Defense Initiative, and would later support them heavily during the UCD Invasions of 2026. 'Lore' In early 2017, the German Federal Elections were happening, with current president Joachim Gauck stating he would not be running for re-election due to concerns about his age and wellness. Frank-Walter Steinmeier ended up winning the vote, and became President of Germany that year. Meanwhile, the German military was deploying troops and equipment in Lithuania, apart of the Baltic Defense Initiative. However, the lack of troops from the United States in Poland quickly became apparent. When questioned, the United States stated they could not ensure the defence of their European allies if their fair share of GDP was not being spent, and that the US would not stand for Europeans piggybacking off of the United States military strength. In response, Germany( along with Canada ) would send troops to Poland and replace the lost number of troops. It was apparent, however, that there were other reasons for the absence of US support, as Poland was one of few nations paying their 2% defence budget. However, over the course of the next few years, NATO countries( including Germany ) would increase their spendings on defence, and effectively increase their military strength. When NATO forces withdrawing from Turkey began turning up dead with all or most of their equipment missing, the Germans were at first hesitant to blame the government and instead believed it was local militias responsible for the killings. The United States disagreed, and brought NATO into war with Turkey. After the war and the formation of the West Turkish Republic, Germany volunteered troops and sent equipment to the West Turks to support their growing military. The generosity of the Germans through the early 2020's led them to be widely respected by Poland, Lithuania and West Turkey. In 2026, the European invasion by the UCD occurred, and had German forces sent by the thousands to Lithuania to back up the small defensive positions already established here. Along with the positions in Latvia set up the Canadians, this would be the start of the Baltic Front in the war. Supply by land was cut when the UCD closed the Suwalki Gap between Poland and Lithuania, and the Union began encircling the Baltics and the troops stationed here. With winter coming soon, if the gap was not taken by November, then it would be impossible to supply the troops in the Baltics, as the Baltic Sea would freeze over in several places. The Kaliningrad Offensives were led by German and Polish Generals and saw major progress through the Kaliningrad Oblast. The Offensives were cut short by a massive invasion of east Poland through Belarus. Kaliningrad was reclaimed and the Germans withdrew forces. While most of the Germans fighting by October 2026 are situated in Lithuania, there are still a considerable amount in Poland because of their assistance during the BDI and during the current invasion.